What is the Best Gaming Laptop under 3000 Dollars in 2023?

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Razer Blade Pro 17 Gaming Laptop

What is the Best Gaming Laptop under 3000 Dollars

Razer says their gaming laptops are made by gamers, for gamers. This promise has been kept to a large extent, right from the first product from Razer back in 2005– the Diamondback gaming mouse. Anyways, Razer as a gaming hardware and systems manufacturer has a couple of impressive laptops in their kitty, and one of them is the Razer Blade Pro 17. For the record, this machine packs desktop-grade performance in gaming and productivity apps.

This unit comes with an Intel Core i7-9750H CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q Graphics card with 8GB VRAM, 17.3″ FHD 144hz, 16GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD for storage.

Design

The Razer Pro 17 chassis is crafted from CNC aluminum uni-body making it sturdy and compact. The color is a cool grey-black matte finish. The lid opens smoothly and effortlessly to reveal the 144Hz maximized screen, thanks to the thin bezel design. The weight of this machine is around 6lbs, and we would say this is the average weight.

The slim bezel on the display is equally beautiful, and another striking element on the lid is the Razer insignia which lights up when the machine powers up.

Keyboard/Trackpad

The Razer Pro 17 has an exceptionally beautiful keyboard that is capable of per-key lighting, thanks to the Chroma lighting. The Synapse 3 app which is bundled with the laptop offers you more options to play around with the keyboard lighting. There are 11 presets you can apply, or you can set your own personal color to reflect your mood. Nice.

The keys are quite a pleasure to type with, though this is not a full keyboard layout. However, the arrow keys are present. On both sides of the keyboard, you will find the installed speakers. There’s also the glass touchpad which allows you to perform gestures in Windows™, such as pinch, zoom, and three-finger swipe. This allows you to effortlessly navigate between apps and the Windows™ environment.

Display

This machine has an awesome full HD anti-glare matte display, which does an awesome job of displaying colors and detail. Note that this display is rated at 119% of the sRGB gamut, which is above the 100% threshold. This means it is capable of displaying more than all the colors in the sRGB color space. Colors just stand out on this display, in gaming and movies.

The display is vivid, sharp, and bright enough for everyday work. However, the brightness averages just 304 nits, which falls short of the 344-nit average for gaming laptops.

Audio

The Blade Pro 17 is fitted with 2 Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers, and they sound quite loud. When playing music, the sound comes out crisp and has more emphasis on the mid-range frequencies. However, you can fine-tune the output via the audio driver interface if you want.

It has six settings that you can try out for different scenarios, especially the Game setting for gaming.

Battery Life

Gaming laptops don’t have exceptional battery life, like business laptops. The Razer Pro 17 managed to garner up to 4 hours 40 minutes on battery tests. On hardcore gaming, expect the battery life to last in the region of 2 to 3 hours, depending on the game being played.

On everyday tasks, such as light browsing or typing in Word, the battery life shoots up to between 6 to 7 hours. Typical. Just so you know, this is a desktop replacement laptop. So don’t expect exceptional battery life as you’d get with ultrabooks. This machine is meant to be plugged into a wall for sustained work or play.

Temps

The Razer Pro 17 gets warm during serious gaming. This is typical, given the premium hardware crammed into this machine. Expect the underside to get as high as 100 degrees. However, the vapor chamber cooling system does a good job of keeping this machine at manageable temperatures. The design includes a sizable gap and exhaust vent near the display’s hinge to facilitate cooling. From experience, cooling is one area where Razer laptops have improved over the years, and it’s quite noticeable on this gaming laptop.

Gameplay/Performance of the Razer Blade Pro 17

The GTX 2080 Super Max-Q on this machine does a fantastic job of handling the games thrown at it. Here are some stats for some games.

GAME FPS SETTINGS
Trials of Mana 120 High
GTA V 80 Ultra High
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt 98 Very High
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 89 High
Metro: Exodus 54 High
Far Cry: New Dawn 87 High

The Razer Blade Pro 17 handles productivity quite flawlessly as it multi-tasks smoothly without breaking a sweat. It scored a total of 22,810 on Geekbench 4.3. also, it was able to transcode a 1 hour 4K video to 1080p in 9 minutes and 31 seconds. In file transfer speed, it clocked up to 848 MB/s which is fast.

Connectivity

This machine has plenty of options for connectivity including USB Type A, Type C, Thunderbolt, HDMI, card reader, Ethernet port, and a Kensington lock.

Upgradability

You can upgrade the storage and the RAM easily by accessing the components through the underside. The machine can support a max RAM of 64GB.

Specifications of the Razer Blade Pro 17

Display 17.3-inch, 1920 x 1080, 300 Hz
CPU Intel Core i7-10875H
Graphics Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080
Super Max-Q (8GB GDDR6)
RAM 16GB DDR4 2933 MHz 
SSD 512B PCIe NVMe SSD
HDD No
Optical No
Networking 802.11ax Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1
Ports 3x USB 3.2 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Type C,
1x HDMI 2.0, 1x RJ-45,
1x 3.5 mm Microphone/Headphone jack
Audio 4x 2W speakers, 1x subwoofer,
1x headphone jack, 1x microphone jack,
1x line-in, 1x line out
Camera 720p camera
Battery 70.5 Whr
Power Adapter 230W
Operating System  Windows 10 Home
Dimensions (WxDxH)  15.6 x 10.2 x 0.8 inches
Weight 6.1 pounds

PROS

  • Solid build
  • Great design
  • Awesome gaming performance

CONS

  • Too shallow keys
  • Heavy
  • Poorly designed trackpad

ASUS TUF Gaming Laptop

Best Gaming Laptops under 3000 Dollars

Asus delivers a Ryzen gaming laptop with this beautiful model, the Asus TUF Gaming Laptop. This machine provides entry-level gaming performance for a budget price point, way below the prestigious Republic of Gamers gaming laptop series. However, it still manages to get the job done, albeit with some performance drawbacks.

This unit is a 15.6” laptop with AMD Ryzen 7 R7-3750H processor, 120Hz FHD IPS display, a GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics card, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and a 256GB PCIe SSD and a 1TB hard drive.

Design

In terms of design, this machine is not that great. The chassis has a slightly flexible feel, and the hinges don’t glide smoothly when closing the lid, as you’d expect in other models. The whole chassis has a plastic material, which is not surprising though.

The edges of the chassis have a chamfered profile, which may be cool for gamers. The lid has a textured brushed aluminum-like surface, with the familiar ASUS logo etched on top. The screen has a nice narrow bezel design, though the lower bezel is quite thick. In terms of weight, we’d consider this lappie relatively lightweight, coming in at just 4.92 lbs.

Keyboard/Trackpad

The keyboard is equipped with backlighting, though it’s a single color light. The keys feature light-moderate clatter, slightly soft feedback, and moderately deep travel of the keyboard keys during keystrokes. This is not a full-layout keyboard, as the Number Pad and Arrow keys are much smaller than the main QWERTY keys and kinda cramped together.

Display

The display is a 15.6” Full HD IPS panel, with a refresh rate of 120Hz. It performs quite well in gaming, and that’s about where its excellence ends.

Colors don’t come off rich and vivid, no thanks to the low sRGB coverage, at just 59%. If you want to edit photos or videos on this thing, think again. It’s only good for gaming, and nothing more.

Also, the brightness is just normal, nothing great. If you are going to be gaming outdoors, you are better off doing it in the shade than in the open sunlight because the 267 nits of brightness is quite inadequate for open sunlight.

Audio

Gaming with the speakers on this unit gives an average performance in terms of volume, with up to 76 dB at head-level, and subpar in terms of quality. The actuals sound chambers are small; with the sound coming through narrow cuts on the sides and is rather tiny. The sound features ok mids and highs, with little on the low-end frequencies. It can also output surround sound to headphones and external speakers through the 3.5 mm jack.

Battery Life

As is common with gaming laptops, this unit is plagued by unimpressive battery life. In light work such as movie watching or browsing, expect up to 4.5 hours of continuous use. For hardcore gaming, don’t expect anything more than 1 hour 30 minutes.

Temps

The Asus TUF Gaming Laptop does great at managing its thermals. The GPU never exceeded 71o C at 100% usage and didn’t show any signs of throttling. One way to ensure this is to make sure fans are on Turbo, which can be done with a touch of a button on the keyboard, which is quite convenient.

It’s also worth mentioning that the top of this laptop doesn’t get hot, even after prolonged gaming sessions, so you can rest your hands on the keyboard without feeling discomfort. The fan noise levels are also quite modest, as there are way noisier machines out there.

Gameplay/Performance

GAME FPS SETTINGS
Rise of the Tomb Raider 64.4/54.4 High/Ultra
Far Cry 5 60+ Ultra
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt 62.7/36.2 High/Ultra High
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 45/41 High/Ultra
BioShock Infinite 183.9/73.9 Low/Ultra
Batman: Arkham Knight 67/44 High/Ultra
Rise of the Tomb Raider 64.4/54.4 High/Ultra
Ashes of the Singularity 36 High
Overwatch 133.2/86.4 High/Ultra
Rocket League 127.5 High

Connectivity

This machine has many connectivity options including HDMI, Gigabit LAN, and USB Type A. See specs for details. The only thing is the concentration of all the ports on the left side, leaving the right side almost empty.

Upgradability

Upgrading your RAM or storage is a snap, simply by removing all the bottom screws and carefully popping the bottom panel off. The entire bottom comes off the machine easily. The machine supports a maximum of 32GB DDR4, so you can actually upgrade it.

Specifications of the ASUS TUF Gaming Laptop

Display15.6 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, IPS, 120 Hz
CPUAMD Ryzen 7 3750H 4 x 2.3 – 4 GHz, Zen+
GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB
RAM8GB DDR4-2666
SSDIntel SSD 512 GB
HDDNone
OpticalNone
NetworkingRealtek Gigabit-LAN & Wireless LAN
802.11ac PCIe Adapter, Bluetooth 4.2
Ports1 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI,
1 Kensington Lock, Audio: 3.5 mm jack
MainboardAMD Promontory/Bixby FCH
AudioAMD Raven – Audio Processor –
HD Audio Controller
Camera1080p webcam
Battery48 Whr Lithium-Polymer
Power Adapter330W
OSMicrosoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Dimensions (WxDxH)1.06 x 14.19 x 10.31 in
Weight2.23 kg (4.92 pounds),
Power Supply: 417 g (0.92 pounds)
Additional FeaturesSpeakers: 2W stereo, Keyboard: Chiclet,
Keyboard Light: yes, McAfee LifeSafe,
Asus Armoury Crate, 12 Months Warranty

PROS

  • Great keyboard
  • High display refresh rate
  • Great performance for the price
  • Low fan noise

CONS

  • Lack of adaptive refresh rate
  • Poor battery life
  • Lower frame rates on some games
  • Poor color output
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Acer Predator Helios 300

Best Gaming Laptops under 3000 Dollars

The Helios 300 is one of Acer’s offerings for PC gaming in the laptop category. The Predator series has enjoyed great popularity among gamers, with a slew of products ranging from desktops to monitors, mice, headsets, backpacks, and gaming laptops. The Helios 300 makes a bold statement in the budget-mid-range category of gamers.

The machine comes in different configurations, but this unit is a 15.6” laptop featuring the NVIDIA GTX 1660 and the 9th Gen Intel Core i7 9750H 6-core chip. The memory is 16GB DDR4 RAM, and the storage is a 256GB SSD.

Design

The Helios 300 adorns some good looks, which is a departure from the previous generation. The chassis is nice and sturdy aluminum material, with blue lighting accents for aesthetics. The keyboard deck is also the same aluminum material. The chassis is well-built and designed, with solid but flexible hinges that allow it to be opened with one hand.

The bevels and underside are made of plastic material – which is good because heat conductivity will be reduced while carrying it on your lap. The weight is also quite light, just a little above 5lbs. Its beveled edges make it easier to grab, and the screen bezels aren’t quite thick. Just average. Overall, not a bad design.

Keyboard/Trackpad

The keyboard is a nice backlit keyboard, with the main keys measuring 15 mm². The keys are spaced reasonably with a little convexity, are quiet, and just have a nice feel. Typing on them is smooth and super-easy. The number pad keys are much narrower than the rest of the keys.

The keyboard backlight is blue, which is optically pleasing. Some users may find it pleasant, but you don’t really want to use it at night because it could interfere with sleep, or you simply turn it off at night. Some keys like the WASD are much better highlighted visually, which makes them stand out.

The trackpad is also beautifully designed, with the familiar blue accent lighting around its perimeter. It can perform multi-finger gestures, and also has two mouse buttons for clicking. The size is just right and sits conveniently a little to the left of the keyboard.

Display

The 1080p FHD display is reasonably color accurate, with up to 93% sRGB coverage. This isn’t a big issue anyway, because this is primarily a gaming laptop, not for image or video editing. The brightness level is rated at 310 nits, which is more like the standard for laptops. However, you shouldn’t use this in bright sunlight, or you’ll get a washed-out screen. Use in shade for a better viewing experience.

The display also suffers from average backlight bleed, which is quite typical of IPS displays.

Audio

The audio output of this laptop is produced by dual stereo speakers on the underside of the unit. The sound quality is typical of most laptops – strong mids and highs, weak lows. The absence of a sub-woofer gives you sub-par sound quality, which of course you can mitigate with quality headphones or external speakers.

As for loudness, it leaves much to be desired. The bundled Predator Sense can be used to make a noticeable difference in sound output, and this can be achieved by changing the supplied presets. You can also turn on the virtual surround functionality for additional audio depth.

Battery Life

As is common with desktop replacement gaming laptops, you shouldn’t expect stellar battery life as you’ll get in netbooks. The Helios 300 manages to squeeze out up to 6 hours in normal usage sans gaming. However, when you’re gaming expect to get between 1-2 hours on max brightness. Abysmal.

Temps

The Helios 300 doesn’t get uncomfortably hot during intensive gameplay, but it can get hot if you don’t set the fans to a steady 100%. The laptop cooling system is powered by Acer’s 4th Gen AeroBlade 3D Fan Technology, and it does a fairly good job of keeping the machine cool.

The Helios 300 stays relatively cool to the touch when in an idle state. However, most areas can get hot under sustained load, even though the palm rest averages around 30°C when gaming. Relatively, this is one of the best-vented laptops around.

Gameplay/Performance

This laptop performs incredibly well in gaming, being able to run most of the AAA titles at 1080p on max settings. The 144Hz display refresh rate helps a lot for smooth gaming. The laptop comes pre-configured with an overclock setting called “Turbo” mode which you can activate via a button to the upper-left of the keyboard. You can, of course, create your own overclocking profiles.

G-Sync is not available on this machine, though the GTX 1660 is capable of pushing it. The machine’s performance in select games is outlined below.

GAME FPS SETTINGS
BioShock Infinite 237/128 High/Ultra
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt 93/54.6 High/Ultra
Rise of the Tomb Raider 86/74 High/Ultra 
X-Plane 11.11 89 High
Dota 2 Reborn 64 High

The bundled Norton Ultimate Security app is not necessary, as Windows Defender does a fairly good job of securing the system. You can uninstall this easily if you desire. The speedy NVMe drive racks up a sequential write speed of 2385 MB/s, which is quite impressive. In PC Mark 10 tests, the Helios 300 scores 7312 Points which is impressive for a machine of this caliber.

Connectivity

The Helios 300 has most of the common ports you’d expect to find in a modern laptop, including USB 3 (Type-A & Type-C), HDMI, Mini-DisplayPort, Ethernet port, and audio jack. One noticeable lacking port is the card reader, which can be mitigated with an external card reader.

The system also has Killer Wireless-AC 1550i chipset for wireless connectivity, and it performs incredibly well in Wi-Fi and Gigabit Ethernet transfer speeds. 

Upgradability

Upgrading your storage or RAM only takes removing the bottom part by unscrewing the 10 Philips screws, which gives you access to the components.

Specifications of the Acer Predator Helios 300

Display 1920 x 1080 (Full HD); 144Hz
CPU Intel Core i7 (9th Gen) 9750H / 2.6 GHz
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
RAM 16GB DDR4
SSD 512GB NVMe SSD
HDD No
Optical No
Networking Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650x – M.2 Card,
Bluetooth 5.0
Ports 3 x USB 3.0, LAN, HDMI, USB-C 3.1 Gen 1,
Headphone/microphone combo jack
Display Screen Technology ComfyView IPS Technology
Audio

Lenovo Legion Y540

2 Stereo Speakers
Camera 720p webcam
Battery 4-cell, 59 Whr, lithium-ion
Power Adapter 180W
Operating System  Windows 10 Home x64
Dimensions (WxDxH)  14.2 x 10 x 0.9 inches
Weight 5.2 pounds

PROS

  • 144Hz refresh rate
  • Solid and tough build
  • Powerful hardware for 1080p AAA gaming
  • Great Wi-Fi performance
  • Predator Sense
  • Fast NVMe storage

CONS

  • Blue backlighting is not good for bedtime use
  • Noisy fans under heavy load
  • No G-Sync or Freesync
  • No option to switch graphics
  • No SD card reader
  • Unnecessary security software
  • Typically short battery life

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